Squeaky Bean owner Johnny Ballen is a huge fan of Bill Murray, and on Sept. 21 he’ll mark the comedian’s 64th birthday on the planet with a Sunday brunch bingo bash at the restaurant, which sits in LoDo at 1500 Wynkoop St.

Ballen and Murray have something of a history. In 2012, the star of “Ghostbusters,” “Caddyshack” and “Lost in Translation” — among others — showed up at Ballen’s restaurant for a tour following a Colorado Rockies game, where the actor was spotted wearing a Squeaky Bean T-shirt, a gift from Ballen.

Ballen was thrilled. “Bill Murray has made me laugh ever since he was a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and I just love the guy, his movies and all the characters he’s played,” he says. “So we’re making this Sunday’s bingo brunch all about Bill Murray’s birthday.”

Murray actually has a Denver connection. The Chicago native briefly attended school at Regis University here, before dropping out and returning to Chicago to pursue an entertainment career.

All the dishes on chef Theo Adley’s brunch menu will name-check Murray’s films and characters — can’t wait to see what the Carl Spackler dish will be — such as cocktails like Bloody Murrays and Murray-mosas.

The fun starts at 10 a.m. The bingo brunch proper goes off at 1 p.m., with prizes such as Murray DVDs and T-shirts. Brunch ends at 3 p.m.

Highland Tap & Burger’s “Shroom Luva’s” sandwich was named one of Zagat’s top burgers in America. (Courtesy Zagat)

Well, Denver burgers finally got some love in a national survey — by the folks at Zagat, the restaurant guide.

Highland Tap & Burger got a shout-out as the Mile High City’s top purveyor of grilled ground beef, specifically with its “Shroom Luva’s” tribute to sauteed mushrooms. The burger also boasts a white truffle oil aioli and Emmenthal cheese. It’s $10, and for an extra $11 you can pile on some foie gras. No word on whether a defibrillator comes with the latter upgrade.

Colorado Table readers might remember that in early June, no Denver restaurant made the cut of the 101 best burgers restaurants in America in a survey compiled by The Daily Meal, a website reputed to contain all things food and wine.

As Denver restaurant consultant John Imbergamo rightly complained: “For 365 days of the year, we have to live with the moniker ‘cowtown,’ and The Daily Meal can’t even cite one burger from here? That’s total bull.”

One of Denver’s most ambitious restaurants, The Squeaky Bean (1500 Wynkoop St., 303-623-2665), opened for lunch this week, serving Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The menu reflects chef Theo Adley’s eclectic influences and partner Johnny Ballen’s sense of humor. Tightly edited, the menu offers four sandwiches, including a cheeseburger, three salads, four main dishes and five small plates. It’s enough to give diners a variety of choices without taking forever to decide.

I chose the double cheeseburger “a la neauveau jersey,” a pair of thin patties topped with Boar’s Head American cheese, a crunchy dill slice and “melted” onions. Even though it’s a double, the thin patties aren’t overkill.

Major news for the Squeaky Bean and its fans: Executive chef Max MacKissock, the popular restaurant’s acclaimed creative driver and co-owner, is leaving the LoDo restaurant.

The parting is described as amicable, but according to Bean insiders, it has been some months in development, due to competing visions between the food and business side of the restaurant. The kitchen puts out terrific fare, but the high-end food costs have hurt the Bean’s ability to make a profit.

“If you’re not making money, you can’t keep making food,” was the blunt assessment of co-owner and general manager Johnny Ballen. “We took a big chance and risk on the Bean because the city needed it, but ultimately we have too many people (whose careers are) on the line” to risk having the restaurant go down.

MacKissock, who is married to James Beard-award winner Jennifer Jasinski (Rioja, Bistro Vendome, Euclid Hall), could not be reached for comment at the time this blog item was posted. No word yet on what he has planned, but stay tuned. He is lauded as one of the area’s finest, most inventive chefs noted for his sure hand with both proteins and produce.Read more…

While the Bean has been around for a few years in a smaller incarnation, it closed for about a year, reopening in summer 2012 in a great new space in the old Saddlery Company building at 1500 Wynkoop St. in LoDo. The Post gave it a four-star rating, the first such award in some years, a few weeks after it opened. Max MacKissock is the executive chef.

Old Major opened earlier this year at 3316 Tejon St. Justin Brunson, who is also behind Masterpiece Deli, runs this carnivore palace. He, too, has earned raves.

Steve Redzikowski, a chef and co-owner of Boulder’s Oak at Fourteenth restaurant, is one of the local chefs tapped to recommend restaurants, dishes and more on Chefs Feed. (Oak at Fourteenth)

I haven’t yet checked-out the Chefs Feed app (chefsfeed.com) – as of Tuesday night, the app didn’t yet include Denver chefs – but the idea, at least, sounds cool: Chefs in different cities direct diners to favorite restaurants, food trucks, dishes and more. The app seems to be sort of like a mix of Yelp and Twitter. People using the app follow chefs, and the chefs dole-out recommendations, some of them live, for things they are eating around town. Lots of pictures.

“I will say this right up front: This is one of the finest restaurants to open in Denver in a long time. Beyond the vibrant space and polished service, the food is exceptional.

“Not to take anything away from the many excellent chefs in the area, but MacKissock, the executive chef, has raised the bar on Mile High dining. He has done this with great creativity and attention to detail, and his passion shows on every plate.

“This is why the Bean has earned the first four-star review since former dining critic Tucker Shaw devised our rating system in 2005.”

One of the most anticipated Denver restaurant openings in months recently launched: The Squeaky Bean has put down roots in LoDo in the historic Saddlery building.

And the new menu should establish chef Max MacKissock as one of the most dynamic people in any Colorado kitchen.

The food is exceptional, including a squash dish that uses all parts of the vegetable, including the blossom, in a way that echoes the snout-to-tail takes on pork so popular with chefs of late. Another winner: bone marrow with chargrilled octopus.